【無了期唔知幾時完嘅武漢肺炎】國際疫情討論區09

任職機場航空公司貴賓室的一名女子初步確診 源頭不明

一名在機場航空公司貴賓室任職的47歲女子，初步確診新型肺炎，涉及L452R變異病毒株，潛伏期內沒有外遊，被列作本地個案，感染源頭不明。

她所住的東涌逸東(二)邨美逸樓，晚上被列作「受限區域」，當局目標是明早7時左右完成行動。

50,228 new cases (new national record) and 625 new deaths in Iran

Keep worsening rapidly.
One more country surpasses 50,000 new cases

New Zealand announces it’s locking down the entire country … over one Covid case

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced a nationwide lockdown after the country confirmed one coronavirus case – the first locally transmitted Covid-19 case in the community since February.

Ardern told a press conference Tuesday authorities were assuming it was the contagious Delta variant, although genome sequencing is still underway.

An unvaccinated 58-year-old man in the country’s largest city Auckland tested positive for the virus. The man had traveled to other parts of the country, and had obvious link to the border, Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said Tuesday.

New Zealand will be under the strictest level lockdown level for the next three days starting from 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, local time, Ardern said. Under level four lockdown, everyone must stay home and businesses are closed aside for essential services such as supermarkets and pharmacies.

New Zealand was last under its most serious lockdown level a year ago, Ardern said.

Nearly 6,000 students in quarantine or isolation in Florida school district

Nearly 6,000 students and over 300 staff members tested positive or have been exposed to COVID-19 in a Florida school district, officials announced Monday.

The alarming number of people in quarantine or isolation has prompted an emergency board meeting at Hillsborough County Public Schools — the seventh-largest district in the nation.

Texas,USA

Texas trails only Florida among states with the most COVID deaths a day, both averaging more than 160. No other state is above 50.

26,852 new cases and 170 new deaths (highest since 12 March, 2021) in the United Kingdom

Worsening!

機場貴賓室人員確診 專家料從工作地點感染機會大

一名在機場貴賓室工作的女子確診新型肺炎，醫學會傳染病顧問委員會聯席主席曾祈殷相信，最大可能是在工作地方受感染，擔心會引發其他個案，甚至有較大規模爆發。

曾祈殷在本台節目《千禧年代》表示，仍有不少流行病學工作需要跟進，包括比對過去的確診者基因排序，個案會否有關連，亦要翻查相關閉路電視記錄，確診員工有否與其他人士接觸，緊密接觸者也需要進行密集病毒檢測。

他說，針對轉機旅客的感染控制，當局稍後應有較清晰的指引，例如在候機室等地方工作的員工，是否需要加密至隔日或每日進行病毒檢測，又或轉機旅客都需要核酸檢測。他又說，機管局責無旁貸，需檢視有關地方工作的員工是否已接種兩劑疫苗，否則便要調配工種。

對於有個案懷疑在指定酒店內經空氣傳播而受感染，曾祈殷認為指定酒店應嚴格執行防疫措施，包括確保換氣過濾足夠。他又認為，隨著Delta變種病毒的風險對社區不斷轉變，疫苗保護亦有所影響，當局適時更改檢疫措施亦未嘗不是好對策。

法國新增111人染疫死亡 英國單日確診逾2萬病例

法國的疫情轉差，單日有111人死亡， 是兩個多月來， 單日死亡人數再次超過100人。

英國單日亦有170名患者病逝， 是5個月以來新高。單日確診人數維持在20000宗水平，最新是26852宗。另外，英國當局准許莫德納新冠疫苗使用在12至17歲兒童身上， 希望加強兒童的防疫能力。

菲律賓

菲律賓的疫情持續，新增1萬宗確診及96人不治。Delta變異病毒威脅下，大馬尼拉地區已實施兩星期嚴格的社區隔離措施，但染疫人數仍然上升，菲律賓連續7天確診者突破一萬人。

澳門解封酒吧等娛樂場所 不少店舖午夜後仍關門未營業

澳門在零時解封酒吧、桑拿、卡拉OK等娛樂場所。不過，不少設在酒店或皇朝夜店區的卡拉OK或酒吧，仍然拉閘未有營業。

只有一兩間因同時經營餐飲，晚上進行舖面清潔的酒吧，午夜營業。負責人表示，因不是周末而且今次疫情，連原本只佔兩成的本地客人，也比較保守，不願外出。停業的十幾天，生意額比去年同月下跌6成。加上今次在政府發放消費卡已有一段時間，即使重新營業，也不太樂觀。

在賭場酒店附近的娛樂場所，零時後重開，有員工表示生意清淡，但停工近半個月重開，起碼有收入，並有零星顧客光顧。

Virologist suggests coronavirus origin theorists are missing a cover-up that's 'staring them right in the face'

COVID-19 origin theorists could be right about a Chinese government cover-up, but they might have their sights set in the wrong direction, an American virologist suggested to Bloomberg.

When an international group of experts organized by the World Health Organization traveled to Wuhan, China, earlier this year to research the origins of the coronavirus that sparked the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they visited the Baishazhou market, which is larger, but perhaps less well-known (internationally, at least) than the Huanan market, where many people initially believed the virus first jumped from wild animals to humans.

The research team was told only frozen foods, ingredients, and kitchenware were sold there. But a recently released study that had previously languished in publishing limbo showed, thanks to data meticiulously collected over 30 months, that at least two vendors there regularly sold live wild animals, Bloomberg reports. Bloomberg also notes that one of the earliest recorded COVID-19 clusters in Wuhan involved a Huanan stall employee who traded goods back and forth between the two markets.

A link between them would be "very intriguing," Stephen Goldstein, an evolutionary virology research associate at the University of Utah, told Bloomberg. But, he said, it won't be possible to determine whether that employeed had any contact with infected wildlife because the animals are long gone. Still, it seems likely to Goldstein that some authorities didn't want the presence of a thriving wildlife trade to become public knowledge. "It seems to me, at a miniumum, that local or regional authorities kept that information quiet deliberately. It's incredible to me that people theorize about one type of cover-up," he said, likely referring to the hypothesis that the virus actually leaked from a nearby government-run lab, "but an obvious cover-up is staring them right in the face." Read more at Bloomberg.

Teen who had heart attack after vaccine dose to receive $225,000

SINGAPORE — The 16-year-old teenager who suffered a heart attack six days after receiving his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine will be eligible for a one-time financial assistance of $225,000.

This will be provided under Singapore's Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme (VIFAP), said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Monday (16 August) in a press statement.

It added that medical investigations have found that the youth had developed acute severe myocarditis which led to the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

"The myocarditis was likely a serious adverse event arising from the COVID-19 vaccine he received, which might have been aggravated by his strenuous lifting of weights and his high consumption of caffeine through energy drinks and supplements," it said.

The teenager is currently "recovering steadily" and undergoing inpatient rehabilitation, the MOH added.

"He is making good progress and can perform his activities of daily living without assistance," it noted adding that the teenager will likely be discharged in the coming weeks. However, he will also likely require outpatient rehabilitation for some time before he can return to school and resume other activities.

The medical team will continue his treatment and monitor his condition, said the MOH.

"The independent clinical panel appointed to assess and adjudicate the VIFAP application found that while he has made good improvement, because his condition was severe and critical, he will require treatment and rehabilitation for some time yet to continue his recovery," added the ministry.

Based on ongoing pharmacovigilance monitoring by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA), while there is a small increased risk of myocarditis or pericarditis following the administration of the COVID-19 vaccines, the local incidence rate remains low at 0.48 per 100,000 doses administered.

The majority have responded well to treatment and have recovered or been discharged well from the hospital, said the MOH.

Avoid strenuous activity for one week after each dose
It reiterated that all vaccine recipients, especially adolescents and younger men, should avoid strenuous physical activity for one week following each of their first and second doses of the vaccine.

Individuals should also seek medical attention promptly if they develop chest pain, shortness of breath or abnormal heartbeats. Individuals who developed myocarditis from their first dose of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines should also not receive further doses of it.

"Vaccination using the Pandemic Special Access Route (PSAR)-authorised mRNA COVID-19 vaccines deployed in our National Vaccination Programme (NVP) thus continues to be recommended for all eligible persons, including adolescents and younger men, as the protective benefits from the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines continue to outweigh the risks of vaccination," said the MOH.

The ministry added that it, along with the expert committee on COVID-19 vaccination and the HSA, will "continue to monitor vaccine-related serious adverse events closely".

Arizona governor to exclude school districts with mask mandates from new education grants

(CNN)Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey said Tuesday that the state would use federal Covid relief money to increase the funding available to public school districts only if they're open for in-person learning and don't require children to wear masks.

To be eligible for the grant funding -- $163 million in total -- Arizona school districts must be open for in-person learning as of August 27 and must be "following all state laws," including the ban on school mask mandates that Ducey signed into law in June.
"Parents are in the driver's seat, and it's their right to make decisions that best fit the needs of their children. Safety recommendations are welcomed and encouraged -- mandates that place more stress on students and families aren't," the governor said in a statement Tuesday. "These grants acknowledge efforts by schools and educators that are following state laws and keeping their classroom doors open for Arizona's students."
Tuesday's announcement marks a notable escalation in Ducey's efforts to prohibit mask mandates in schools, even as public health experts have touted masks as an important mitigation measure while Covid-19 cases surge nationwide. A handful of Arizona districts have imposed mask mandates despite the state law that prohibits them, arguing that the ban cannot go into effect until mid-September at the earliest, making their current mandates legal.
In response to the grant funding exclusions, US Rep. Greg Stanton, an Arizona Democrat, wrote an open letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen asking that agency consider withholding the federal Covid relief money from the state.
"This deeply irresponsible plan appears to violate the plain language of the law as written by Congress as well as the guidance issued by the Department of the Treasury. These funds are not intended to be used for policies that undercut scientific research to pursue purely partisan ideological priorities," Stanton wrote.
The Treasury Department, he said, needs to "make clear to the governor that if he follows through with this reckless proposal, he risks losing these funds for Arizona. These resources should -- and must -- be made available to all Arizona schools."
Kathy Hoffman, the state's Democratic superintendent of public instruction, tweeted: "This is yet another outrageous attack on public education by the Governor when he should be listening to school leaders and educators on what is needed to keep students safe, and schools open."
In addition to the threat over new funding, Ducey on Tuesday announced a grant program for students who attend schools that require masks, allowing them to use the money for education expenses like transportation and tuition costs at a different school. The program is also funded with federal Covid relief money.
At least six other states -- Arkansas, Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Utah -- prohibit districts from requiring masks in schools.

9,605 new cases and 331 new deaths in Vietnam

Still worsening.

20,515 new cases and 312 new deaths (new national recording) in Thailand

One state has no available ICU beds while thousands more students quarantine due to Covid-19

Covid-19 hospitalizations have doubled over the past three weeks, with 83,693 people hospitalized this week, according to data from the US Department of Health and Human Services.

No ICU beds are left in the entire state of Alabama, the Alabama Hospital Association told CNN on Tuesday.

"We in fact are in a negative 11," Dr. Don Williamson, president of the association, told CNN affiliate WSFA. "In the Montgomery area we have eight more patients who are getting ICU care than we have designated ICU beds here. In other parts of the state, we have over 30 patients in hospitals, needing ICU care, who are not in a designated ICU bed."
Alabama has 1,557 staffed intensive care unit beds and on Tuesday, there were 1,568 patients in need of ICU care, Williamson said. The Alabama Department of Public Health said 2,631 people are hospitalized with Covid-19 complications.

In Tennessee, "We are prepared to deploy additional medical personnel from the Tennessee National Guard to our hospitals in greatest need of assistance," the state health department wrote in a letter Monday.
In Kentucky, hospitals are starting to cancel or postpone surgeries that would require post-operative admission to the hospital, state Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack said.
"ICU and ventilator data -- it is a vertical climb," Stack said Tuesday. "There's no sign it is abating. We are already just shy of our all-time record. Another day or two, we'll be past that record for ICUs."

佢地唔係打夠7成針就唔再驗唔再報咩
點解仲報緊

打完一樣會中 不過重症機會下降

台灣新增6例本土病例5境外移入 開放20歲至35歲以上民眾可預約高端疫苗

中央流行疫情指揮中心公布國內新增11例確定病例，分別為6例本土及5例境外移入；另確診個案中無新增死亡。

指揮中心統計，截至今天中午，共有41.9萬人預約第6輪高端疫苗。指揮官陳時中宣布，今天下午4時至20日12時將加開20歲至35歲民眾預約，約有29.8萬人符合資格。

1,221 new cases in Austria

Worsening, but more deaths may not come until next month.

Where did you get such information?

Moneypore has reported its data every day.

677 new cases and 3 new deaths in Australia

Keep worsening!

22,242 new cases (new national record) and 225 new deaths in Malaysia

Monkeypore

As of 18 August 2021, 12pm, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has preliminarily confirmed 49 new cases of locally transmitted COVID-19 infection. 23 are linked to previous cases, and have already been placed on quarantine. 7 are linked to previous cases and were detected through surveillance. 19 are currently unlinked. Amongst the cases is 1 senior above 70 years who is unvaccinated, and is at risk of serious illness.

2. In addition, there are 4 imported cases, who have already been placed on Stay-Home Notice (SHN) or isolated upon arrival in Singapore. 3 were detected upon arrival in Singapore, while 1 developed the illness during SHN or isolation.

3. In total, there are 53 new cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore today.

新西蘭新增11宗確診 近日確診個案疑由悉尼傳入

新西蘭新增11宗新型肺炎Delta變種病毒確診個案，全部來自奧克蘭，衛生部長預計確診個案會持續增加，令近期新增的個案增至21宗。

總理阿德恩表示，追蹤發現，近期的確診個案，與一名在本月7日由悉尼入境的確診患者有關，這名患者確診後，本月9日轉往隔離設施，今個星期一送院治療。奧克蘭及科羅曼德目前進行為期一星期封城，全國其餘地方封城三日。

另外，新西蘭當局擴大接種輝瑞疫苗的年齡層到12至15歲。